Kids

Cellulitis

What's Cellulitis?

No, cellulitis doesn't have anything to do with cellulite — that dimpled fat on the back of thighs! Cellulitis (say: sel-yuh-LY-tus) is actually a common infection of the skin that some people get.

What starts out as a simple scrape or insect bite can become a case of cellulitis, which needs special attention. Read on to learn what cellulitis is and how to prevent it.

You probably know that your skin has layers — three, to be exact. Well, cellulitis is an infection at the deepest layer, called the subcutaneous (say: sub-kyoo-TAY-nee-us) layer. This kind of infection is caused by bacteria, which can get into the body through broken skin of any kind (such as a cut, scratch, animal bite, or a bug bite if you scratch it).

Usually, when you get a scratch, just the top layers near the skin's surface are affected, and the problem clears up on its own. If an infection develops, it may affect just the top layers of skin. But if it goes deeper and becomes cellulitis, all three layers of skin can become red, swollen, and tender.

What Causes It?

Different types of bacteria can cause cellulitis. The most common are group A streptococcus (say: strep-toh-KAH-kus) and staphylococcus (say: staf-uh-loh-KAH-kus).

You come into contact with bacteria every day. Some types of bacteria even live on our bodies, but some bacteria are harmful, especially if they get in something like a cut and cause an infection.

How Do I Know If I Have It?

You can get cellulitis on any part of your body, but it often occurs on the face and legs. You should let your parent know any time you have a cut or skin problem so it can be checked out.

If the area is painful, red, feels warm, or is swollen, it could be infected and your parent should take you to the doctor. If it turns out to be cellulitis, it may look very red and spread quickly. In some cases, there can be red streaks around it.

Cellulitis is serious and someone who has it needs medical attention. It can cause fever, chills, and swollen glands. Bacteria can get into the bloodstream or even the bones nearby and make someone really sick.

If your doctor suspects you have cellulitis, he or she will examine your skin and ask you questions about recent injuries and what activities you do. The doctor can usually tell from examining the skin if someone has cellulitis. If so, you'll probably have to take an antibiotic (say: an-ty-by-AH-tik), a kind of medicine that kills bacteria.

In more serious cases, blood tests are needed. Someone with a more serious case of cellulitis (with symptoms such as a fever or red streaks on skin) may need to stay in the hospital for a while and get antibiotic medicine through an intravenous (say: in-truh-VEE-nus) line (a thin plastic tube that goes into a vein, also called an IV).